Long Beach Students Soak Up Job Tips From Oreck

Long Beach eighth graders have been pouring over job applications at the Oreck vacuum plant at the Industrial Park. Some forms are filled with mistakes.

One student seemed surprised when she read an application.

"This doesn't make any sense. He doesn't even know his own address," she said.

Other forms are bound to catch an employer's eye. The English students visited Oreck to learn the do's and don'ts when it comes to applying for work from Oreck's Human Resources Director. It's the kind of advice that can help them land a job.

"How to fill out applications, which is a lot more difficult to do than you think it was," eighth grader Jason Furcron said.

"This gives them the opportunity to see the importance of English and grammar in the workplace. Not only that, they can experience the different types of jobs that are available out there," teacher Sandi Lane said.

A tour of the assembly line exposed the students to some of those jobs and the people who help power up 45,000 vacuum cleaners a month.

"Personally, I've seen a few jobs that I'm interested in and what classes I needed to take to pursue that education," Jason said.

Learning from the pros gave the students a new perspective about the business world and prepared them for the day when they start pounding the pavement.

The students also visited the Jeff Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to learn how to fill out a college application and how to prepare for the ACT.